She's a Blur

25 lbs of floppy happiness running at full tilt. Dogs are an absolute joy.

Today's Birdies

This morning I decided it was pretty enough for me to venture outside with my camera to try to capture images of birdies at the feeders. I set up my blind on the deck. Okay, it wasn't a blind. It was me sitting on the deck between two patio chairs, but I felt a little like Marlin Perkins. So, it was a blind, okay. Anyway, here are the birdies that I was actually able catch on film:

This little fellow is a Downy Woodpecker. We've named all our Downy Woodpeckers Robert or Roberta.

This is a little American Goldfinch. He is in mid-molt. The American Goldfinch is the only finch that molts twice: once in the autumn to turn brown for winter and once in the spring to turn yellow (males) or olive (females) for summer.

I think this is a Pine Siskin. He jumped into the deck mounted bird bath about three feet from my head. Cute little thing he is.

This American Robin stopped for a drink at the pond. He/she was singing in a nearby tree for about a half hour before coming coming down for a drink. Robins have a gorgeous song. I heart robins.
Say hello again to my little friend. This is the male Pileated Woodpecker that visited us on Friday. Pretty, pretty. Curt and I ooohed and aaahed again. We'll never get tired of this bird. So cool to see a woodpecker as big as a crow.

WOODPECKERS EVERYWHERE!!!

HOLY CRAP! TODAY IS THE BEST DAY EVER! I'M YELLING! I'M SORRY! I CAN'T HELP IT! WHY AM I YELLING? BECAUSE THE PILEATED WOODPECKER SHOWED UP AGAIN AND HE BROUGHT HIS WIFE!!! TWO PILEATEDS IN ONE FRICKIN' DAY!! OH MY GOD!

HERE IS MR. WOODPECKER:

HERE IS HIS WIFE: (NOTE THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE RED ON HER CHEEKS)

Okay. I can die happy now.

Thank Heavens The Blade Wasn't Running

A few observations about this delightful news story out of Hutchinson MN:

1. Of course he pulled in to a trailer park.
2. You've got to be pretty damn drunk to hit traffic cones on a riding mower. You just can't go that fast.
3. Whoever wrote "public display of bladder relief" should either get a trophy or be flogged. I can't decide.
4. He must have grown up in Wisconsin. We just don't grow them like this over here.

Charges: Drunken mower rider buys beer, resumes wild ride
A 42-year-old man is accused of being drunk while driving his riding lawn mower to a SuperAmerica in Hutchinson, Minn., buying beer and then zigzagging along city streets on a ride that included a public display of bladder relief.
Darwin L. Christensen, of Hutchinson, was charged today in McLeod County District Court with drunken driving and urinating in public. A breath test indicated that his blood alcohol level was .21 percent, far above the limit used to determine drunkenness in DWI cases.
Christensen is no stranger to overdrinking and operating a motor vehicle. State records show he has pleaded guilty at least four times, twice each in 1986 and 1996, to drunken driving. His rap sheet also includes convictions for disorderly conduct, fleeing a police officer, felony property damage and felony burglary.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police received a report at about 6:20 p.m. Thursday of a suspected intoxicated man driving a lawn mower. The witness reported seeing the man buy beer at a SuperAmerica, then head north on School Road on the mower.
The man was seen running over two orange cones on the road, swerving within his lane and changing speeds.
After turning onto N. High Drive, he stopped, got off the mower and urinated on the side of the road while throwing a beer can into the ditch.
He then resumed his mower travels into a mobile home park.
Police approached Christensen outside, and noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath, stumbling and slurring his speech. He admitted that he had just been at the store with his mower and had urinated in public.

How Could Today Get Any Better?

So, I just finished posting pictures of the new cabin to the blog when I looked out to the bird feeders. What, oh what, did I see? Just the bird I have been waiting all winter long to catch a glimpse of at our feeders. Yes, it's true. I had a Pileated Woodpecker at the feeder log! WOOO HOOOOOO! I should just go back to bed, because I can't think of much that could top this today. Maybe I should buy lottery tickets. Oh, and I caught a picture of him, too. It isn't the best photo, but you'll get the idea.

So Excited I'm Running Around With Jazz Hands

Curt and I have taken the plunge and are purchasing a cute little cabin about 2 1/2 hours away in northwest Wisconsin. Real estate prices have come down to a point where even the two of us felt we couldn't pass up the opportunity to override our cheap Scandinavian sensibilities and make an investment that we will also enjoy. We are excited to the point that we're going to bed talking about the cabin and waking up talking about the cabin. And when no one is looking I erupt into jazz hands. Wooooo! So, here are some pictures that I took at the inspection yesterday.
This is a view from just outside the front door looking east. The lake is basically a big bowl of sand filled with water. I'm told the water stays crystal clear all summer and weediness isn't much of a problem here. Get out your thongs! We're going swimming!

This is the front side of the cabin. It is an old 30's fishing cabin. So, naturally, it is small and quirky and cute. The current owner has lived there for 23 years. He's in his 80's now and is moving to a town nearby. It is so clear from the condition of the place that he has loved, loved, loved the place.

This is the back side of the cabin. In 2002, the owner added this two car heated garage with a 13 x 25 ft sleeping loft with a 3/4 bath on top. This is a sweet feature for us. Lots of storage and it is connected directly to the rest of the cabin.

This is what you see when you sit on the sofa in the living room. This view doesn't suck at all. I suspect the sofa will have a permanent giant ass indentation from my over use of the view.

This is the old pontoon boat that is included in the deal. Sweet. It is about 30 years old and not pimped out like the modern pontooons, but it floats and that is all that matters. Oh, and get this- the owner called the real estate agent while we were there and asked her "Do you think the boys who are buying the place would like it if I set up the dock and got the pontoon in before closing?" How sweet is that and, uh, YES! We would love that!

This is one end of the sleeping loft. I love it up there. The door goes out to a small balcony overlooking the driveway.

This is the view from the sleeping loft. This view doesn't suck either. Sweet!

This is the cutie pie little kitchen. It is tiny, but so clean and well preserved that it adds to the charm of the place. Who needs a big gourmet kitchen at the lake anyway, right?

This is a pair of male mallards that I caught flying across the lake. Two boys together. It was a sign.

All are welcome. So, when are you all coming up??

Divorced White Female, Eats Children...

I hit a good number of estate sales here in west metro. I rarely buy anything. Mostly, I'm just nosey and curious about an occasional bargain. This weekend, while scanning the online estate sale ads, I came across the picture below. I didn't go to this sale because, frankly, I would have been scared shitless. So, my friends, put on your FBI profiler hat and give me a personality profile of the serial killer that lives here: UPDATE:

Here is the bedroom. Not as offensive until you look at the pillow with the two faces. Also, what is the business of hanging gold rimmed mirrors at the top of the wall. She did it in the living room too.